Optimized power distribution to transport climate control systems amongst one or more electric supply equipment stations

ABSTRACT

A method for optimizing power distribution amongst one or more electrical supply equipment stations at a power distribution site is provided. The method includes obtaining infrastructure data about the power distribution site, obtaining vehicle/transport climate control system data from one or more transport climate control systems and one or more vehicles demanding power from the one or more electrical supply equipment, and obtaining external data from an external source that can impact power demand from the one or more transport climate control systems. Each of the one or more transport climate control systems configured to provide climate control within a climate controlled space. The method also includes generating an optimized power distribution schedule based on the infrastructure data, the vehicle/transport climate control system data and the external data, and distributing power to the one or more transport climate control systems based on the optimized power distribution schedule.

FIELD

The disclosure herein relates to an electrically powered accessoryconfigured to be used with at least one of a vehicle, trailer, and atransport container. More particularly, the disclosure herein relates toan optimized power distribution to electrically powered accessoriesamongst one or more electric supply equipment stations.

BACKGROUND

A transport climate control system is generally used to controlenvironmental condition(s) (e.g., temperature, humidity, air quality,and the like) within a climate controlled space of a transport unit(e.g., a truck, a container (such as a container on a flat car, anintermodal container, etc.), a box car, a semi-tractor, a bus, or othersimilar transport unit). The transport climate control system caninclude, for example, a transport refrigeration system (TRS) and/or aheating, ventilation and air conditioning (HVAC) system. The TRS cancontrol environmental condition(s) within the climate controlled spaceto maintain cargo (e.g., produce, frozen foods, pharmaceuticals, etc.).The HVAC system can control environmental conditions(s) within theclimate controlled space to provide passenger comfort for passengerstravelling in the transport unit. In some transport units, the transportclimate control system can be installed externally (e.g., on a rooftopof the transport unit, on a front wall of the transport unit, etc.).

SUMMARY

The embodiments disclosed herein relate to an electrically poweredaccessory configured to be used with at least one of a vehicle, trailer,and a transport container. More particularly, the embodiments disclosedherein relate to an optimized power distribution to electrically poweredaccessories amongst one or more electric supply equipment stations.

In particular, the embodiments described herein can power and/or chargeone or more electrically powered accessories and at the same timemaintain logistical processes for operating the one or more electricallypowered accessories and maintain dispatch schedules for the one or moreelectrically powered accessories while minimizing costs related to, forexample, power demand rates, etc.

For example, the embodiments described herein can coordinate powerdistribution to one or more electrically powered accessories at a powerdistribution site based on infrastructure data about the powerdistribution site, vehicle/electrically powered accessory data from oneor more electrically powered accessories demanding power from one ormore electrical supply equipment (ESE) stations (e.g., electricalvehicle supply equipment) located at the power distribution site, andexternal data from an external source that can impact power demand fromthe one or more electrically powered accessories. The infrastructuredata, the electrically powered accessory data, and the external data canbe from various inputs and use simulation models and historical data topredict an optimization model for scheduling power distribution to theone or more electrically powered accessories while minimizing overallcost (e.g., power distribution site costs, operational costs of theelectrically powered accessories, etc.) and ensuring that theelectrically powered accessories have sufficient power to operate whileat the power distribution site and/or sufficient charge to operate whenthe electrically powered accessory is dispatched from the powerdistribution site.

In some embodiments, the power distribution site can be modular suchthat power distribution capacity can be increased or decreased asrequired and can be flexible such that the power distribution siteincludes multiple ESE stations that may or may not be capable ofdistributing power at any given time. Also, in some embodiments, thepower distribution site can determine whether a new ESE station has beenadded to or removed from the power distribution site. Accordingly, theembodiment described herein can reduce costs for a power distributionsite by reducing the amount of power distributed at peak power demandrates, can reduce capacity strain on the power distribution site and canenable energy balancing amongst the multiple ESE stations.

When the electrically powered accessories are CCUs, the embodimentsdescribed herein can ensure climate control for each of the CCUs, andoptimize timing for starting, for example, a temperature pull down foreach of the CCUs and/or speed for the temperature pull down for each ofthe CCUs. The embodiments described herein can help ensure successfulclimate control of each of the CCUs and provide particular focus to theCCUs providing climate control to relatively more valuable and/orclimate sensitive cargo.

In one embodiment, a method for optimizing power distribution amongstone or more electrical supply equipment stations at a power distributionsite is provided. The method includes obtaining infrastructure dataabout the power distribution site, obtaining vehicle/electricallypowered accessory data from one or more electrically powered accessoriesand one or more vehicles demanding power from the one or more electricalsupply equipment, and obtaining external data from an external sourcethat can impact power demand from the one or more electrically poweredaccessories. Each of the one or more electrically powered accessories isconfigured to be used with at least one of a vehicle, a trailer, and atransportation container. The method also includes generating anoptimized power distribution schedule based on the infrastructure data,the vehicle/electrically powered accessory data and the external data,and distributing power to the one or more electrically poweredaccessories based on the optimized power distribution schedule.

In another embodiment, a power distribution site for distributing powerto one or more electrically powered accessories is provided. The powerdistribution site includes a power converter stage, a plurality ofelectrical supply equipment stations, a transfer switch matrix, and apower distribution controller. The power converter stage is configuredto convert power received from one or more of a plurality of powersources into a power that is compatible with at least one of the one ormore electrically powered accessories. The plurality of electricalsupply equipment stations distribute power received from the powerconverter stage to at least one of the one or more electrically poweredaccessories. The transfer switch matrix is selectively connected to eachof the plurality of electrical supply equipment stations, wherein thetransfer switch matrix selectively distributes power converted by thepower converter stage to at least one of the one or more electricallypowered accessories. The power distribution controller controlsdistribution of power to the one or more electrically poweredaccessories by controlling operation of the power converter stage andthe transfer switch matrix.

Other features and aspects will become apparent by consideration of thefollowing detailed description and accompanying drawings.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1A illustrates a side view of a van with a transport climatecontrol system, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 1B illustrates a side view of a truck with a transport climatecontrol system, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 1C illustrates a perspective view of a climate controlled transportunit, with a transport climate control system, attached to a tractor,according to one embodiment.

FIG. 1D illustrates a side view of a climate controlled transport unitwith a multi-zone transport climate control system, according to oneembodiment.

FIG. 1E illustrates a perspective view of a passenger vehicle includinga transport climate control system, according to one embodiment.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a power distribution site,according to one embodiment.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of a method for optimizing powerdistribution to one or more electrically powered accessories.

Like reference numbers represent like parts throughout.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

The embodiments disclosed herein relate to an electrically poweredaccessory configured to be used with at least one of a vehicle, trailer,and a transport container. More particularly, the embodiments disclosedherein relate to optimized power distribution to electrically poweredaccessories amongst one or more electric supply equipment stations.

It is noted that: U.S. application Ser. No. 16/565063, “SYSTEM ANDMETHOD FOR MANAGING POWER AND EFFICIENTLY SOURCING A VARIABLE VOLTAGEFOR A TRANSPORT CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM,”; U.S. application Ser. No.16/565110, “TRANSPORT CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM WITH A SELF-CONFIGURINGMATRIX POWER CONVERTER,”; U.S. application Ser. No. 16/565146,“OPTIMIZED POWER MANAGEMENT FOR A TRANSPORT CLIMATE CONTROL ENERGYSOURCE,”; European Patent Application Number 19219088.2, “PRIORITIZEDPOWER DELIVERY FOR FACILITATING TRANSPORT CLIMATE CONTROL,”; U.S.application Ser. No. 16/565205, “TRANSPORT CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM WITHAN ACCESSORY POWER DISTRIBUTION UNIT FOR MANAGING TRANSPORT CLIMATECONTROL ELECTRICALLY POWERED ACCESSORY LOADS,”; U.S. application Ser.No. 16/565235, “AN INTERFACE SYSTEM FOR CONNECTING A VEHICLE AND ATRANSPORT CLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEM,”; U.S. application Ser. No. 16/565252,“DEMAND-SIDE POWER DISTRIBUTION MANAGEMENT FOR A PLURALITY OF TRANSPORTCLIMATE CONTROL SYSTEMS,”; and U.S. application Ser. No. 16/565282,“OPTIMIZED POWER CORD FOR TRANSFERRING POWER TO A TRANSPORT CLIMATECONTROL SYSTEM,”; all filed concurrently herewith on Sep. 9, 2019, andthe contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. While theembodiments described below illustrate different embodiments of atransport climate control system, it will be appreciated that theelectrically powered accessory is not limited to the transport climatecontrol system or a climate control unit (CCU) of the transport climatecontrol system. It will be appreciated that a CCU can be e.g., atransport refrigeration unit (TRU). In other embodiments, theelectrically powered accessory can be, for example, a crane attached toa vehicle, a cement mixer attached to a truck, one or more foodappliances of a food truck, a boom arm attached to a vehicle, a concretepumping truck, a refuse truck, a fire truck (with a power driven ladder,pumps, lights, etc.), etc. It will be appreciated that the electricallypowered accessory may require continuous operation even when thevehicle's ignition is turned off and/or the vehicle is parked and/oridling and/or charging. The electrically powered accessory can requiresubstantial power to operate and/or continuous and/or autonomousoperation (e.g., controlling temperature/humidity/airflow of a climatecontrolled space) on an as needed basis, independent of the vehicle'soperational mode.

While the embodiments described below illustrate different embodimentsof a transport climate control system, it will be appreciated that theelectrically powered accessory is not limited to the transport climatecontrol system or a climate control unit (CCU) of the transport climatecontrol system. It will be appreciated that a CCU can be e.g., atransport refrigeration unit (TRU). In other embodiments, theelectrically powered accessory can be, for example, a crane attached toa vehicle, a cement mixer attached to a truck, one or more foodappliances of a food truck, a boom arm attached to a vehicle, a concretepumping truck, a refuse truck, a fire truck (with a power driven ladder,pumps, lights, etc.), etc. It will be appreciated that the electricallypowered accessory may require continuous operation even when thevehicle's ignition is turned off and/or the vehicle is parked and/oridling and/or charging. The electrically powered accessory can requiresubstantial power to operate and/or continuous and/or autonomousoperation (e.g., controlling temperature/humidity/airflow of a climatecontrolled space) on an as needed basis, independent of the vehicle'soperational mode.

FIG. 1A depicts a climate-controlled van 100 that includes a climatecontrolled space 105 for carrying cargo and a transport climate controlsystem 110 for providing climate control within the climate controlledspace 105. The transport climate control system 110 includes a climatecontrol unit (CCU) 115 that is mounted to a rooftop 120 of the van 100.The transport climate control system 110 can include, amongst othercomponents, a climate control circuit (not shown) that connects, forexample, a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator and an expansiondevice to provide climate control within the climate controlled space105. It will be appreciated that the embodiments described herein arenot limited to climate-controlled vans, but can apply to any type oftransport unit (e.g., a truck, a container (such as a container on aflat car, an intermodal container, a marine container, etc.), a box car,a semi-tractor, a bus, or other similar transport unit), etc.

The transport climate control system 110 also includes a programmableclimate controller 125 and one or more sensors (not shown) that areconfigured to measure one or more parameters of the transport climatecontrol system 110 (e.g., an ambient temperature outside of the van 100,an ambient humidity outside of the van 100, a compressor suctionpressure, a compressor discharge pressure, a supply air temperature ofair supplied by the CCU 115 into the climate controlled space 105, areturn air temperature of air returned from the climate controlled space105 back to the CCU 115, a humidity within the climate controlled space105, etc.) and communicate parameter data to the climate controller 125.The climate controller 125 is configured to control operation of thetransport climate control system 110 including the components of theclimate control circuit. The climate controller unit 115 may comprise asingle integrated control unit 126 or may comprise a distributed networkof climate controller elements 126, 127. The number of distributedcontrol elements in a given network can depend upon the particularapplication of the principles described herein.

The climate-controlled van 100 can also include a vehicle PDU 101, a VES102, a standard charging port 103, and/or an enhanced charging port 104.The VES 102 can include a controller (not shown). The vehicle PDU 101can include a controller (not shown). In one embodiment, the vehicle PDUcontroller can be a part of the VES controller or vice versa. In oneembodiment, power can be distributed from e.g., an electric vehiclesupply equipment (EVSE, not shown), via the standard charging port 103,to the vehicle PDU 101. Power can also be distributed from the vehiclePDU 101 to an electrical supply equipment (ESE, not shown) and/or to theCCU 115 (see solid lines for power lines and dotted lines forcommunication lines). In another embodiment, power can be distributedfrom e.g., an EVSE (not shown), via the enhanced charging port 104, toan ESE (not shown) and/or to the CCU 115. The ESE can then distributepower to the vehicle PDU 101 via the standard charging port 103.

FIG. 1B depicts a climate-controlled straight truck 130 that includes aclimate controlled space 131 for carrying cargo and a transport climatecontrol system 132. The transport climate control system 132 includes aCCU 133 that is mounted to a front wall 134 of the climate controlledspace 131. The CCU 133 can include, amongst other components, a climatecontrol circuit (not shown) that connects, for example, a compressor, acondenser, an evaporator and an expansion device to provide climatecontrol within the climate controlled space 131.

The transport climate control system 132 also includes a programmableclimate controller 135 and one or more sensors (not shown) that areconfigured to measure one or more parameters of the transport climatecontrol system 132 (e.g., an ambient temperature outside of the truck130, an ambient humidity outside of the truck 130, a compressor suctionpressure, a compressor discharge pressure, a supply air temperature ofair supplied by the CCU 133 into the climate controlled space 131, areturn air temperature of air returned from the climate controlled space131 back to the CCU 133, a humidity within the climate controlled space131, etc.) and communicate parameter data to the climate controller 135.The climate controller 135 is configured to control operation of thetransport climate control system 132 including components of the climatecontrol circuit. The climate controller 135 may comprise a singleintegrated control unit 136 or may comprise a distributed network ofclimate controller elements 136, 137. The number of distributed controlelements in a given network can depend upon the particular applicationof the principles described herein.

It will be appreciated that similar to the climate-controlled van 100shown in FIG. 1A, the climate-controlled straight truck 130 of FIG. 1Bcan also include a vehicle PDU (such as the vehicle PDU 101 shown inFIG. 1A), a VES (such as the VES 102 shown in FIG. 1A), a standardcharging port (such as the standard charging port 103 shown in FIG. 1A),and/or an enhanced charging port (e.g., the enhanced charging port 104shown in FIG. 1A), communicating with and distribute power from/to thecorresponding ESE and/or the CCU 133.

FIG. 1C illustrates one embodiment of a climate controlled transportunit 140 attached to a tractor 142. The climate controlled transportunit 140 includes a transport climate control system 145 for a transportunit 150. The tractor 142 is attached to and is configured to tow thetransport unit 150. The transport unit 150 shown in FIG. 1C is atrailer.

The transport climate control system 145 includes a CCU 152 thatprovides environmental control (e.g. temperature, humidity, air quality,etc.) within a climate controlled space 154 of the transport unit 150.The CCU 152 is disposed on a front wall 157 of the transport unit 150.In other embodiments, it will be appreciated that the CCU 152 can bedisposed, for example, on a rooftop or another wall of the transportunit 150. The CCU 152 includes a climate control circuit (not shown)that connects, for example, a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator andan expansion device to provide conditioned air within the climatecontrolled space 154.

The transport climate control system 145 also includes a programmableclimate controller 156 and one or more sensors (not shown) that areconfigured to measure one or more parameters of the transport climatecontrol system 145 (e.g., an ambient temperature outside of thetransport unit 150, an ambient humidity outside of the transport unit150, a compressor suction pressure, a compressor discharge pressure, asupply air temperature of air supplied by the CCU 152 into the climatecontrolled space 154, a return air temperature of air returned from theclimate controlled space 154 back to the CCU 152, a humidity within theclimate controlled space 154, etc.) and communicate parameter data tothe climate controller 156. The climate controller 156 is configured tocontrol operation of the transport climate control system 145 includingcomponents of the climate control circuit. The climate controller 156may comprise a single integrated control unit 158 or may comprise adistributed network of climate controller elements 158, 159. The numberof distributed control elements in a given network can depend upon theparticular application of the principles described herein.

In some embodiments, the tractor 142 can include an optional APU 108.The optional APU 108 can be an electric auxiliary power unit (eAPU).Also, in some embodiments, the tractor 142 can also include a vehiclePDU 101 and a VES 102 (not shown). The APU 108 can provide power to thevehicle PDU 101 for distribution. It will be appreciated that for theconnections, solid lines represent power lines and dotted linesrepresent communication lines. The climate controlled transport unit 140can include a PDU 121 connecting to power sources (including, forexample, an optional solar power source 109; an optional power source122 such as Genset, fuel cell, undermount power unit, auxiliary batterypack, etc.; and/or an optional liftgate battery 107, etc.) of theclimate controlled transport unit 140. The PDU 121 can include a PDUcontroller (not shown). The PDU controller can be a part of the climatecontroller 156. The PDU 121 can distribute power from the power sourcesof the climate controlled transport unit 140 to e.g., the transportclimate control system 145. The climate controlled transport unit 140can also include an optional liftgate 106. The optional liftgate battery107 can provide power to open and/or close the liftgate 106.

It will be appreciated that similar to the climate-controlled van 100,the climate controlled transport unit 140 attached to the tractor 142 ofFIG. 1C can also include a VES (such as the VES 102 shown in FIG. 1A), astandard charging port (such as the standard charging port 103 shown inFIG. 1A), and/or an enhanced charging port (such as the enhancedcharging port 104 shown in FIG. 1A), communicating with and distributepower from/to a corresponding ESE and/or the CCU 152. It will beappreciated that the charging port(s) 103 and/or can be on either thetractor 142 or the trailer. For example, in one embodiment, the standardcharging port 103 is on the tractor 142 and the enhanced charging port104 is on the trailer.

FIG. 1D illustrates another embodiment of a climate controlled transportunit 160. The climate controlled transport unit 160 includes amulti-zone transport climate control system (MTCS) 162 for a transportunit 164 that can be towed, for example, by a tractor (not shown). Itwill be appreciated that the embodiments described herein are notlimited to tractor and trailer units, but can apply to any type oftransport unit (e.g., a truck, a container (such as a container on aflat car, an intermodal container, a marine container, etc.), a box car,a semi-tractor, a bus, or other similar transport unit), etc.

The MTCS 162 includes a CCU 166 and a plurality of remote units 168 thatprovide environmental control (e.g. temperature, humidity, air quality,etc.) within a climate controlled space 170 of the transport unit 164.The climate controlled space 170 can be divided into a plurality ofzones 172. The term “zone” means a part of an area of the climatecontrolled space 170 separated by walls 174. The CCU 166 can operate asa host unit and provide climate control within a first zone 172 a of theclimate controlled space 166. The remote unit 168 a can provide climatecontrol within a second zone 172 b of the climate controlled space 170.The remote unit 168 b can provide climate control within a third zone172 c of the climate controlled space 170. Accordingly, the MTCS 162 canbe used to separately and independently control environmentalcondition(s) within each of the multiple zones 172 of the climatecontrolled space 162.

The CCU 166 is disposed on a front wall 167 of the transport unit 160.In other embodiments, it will be appreciated that the CCU 166 can bedisposed, for example, on a rooftop or another wall of the transportunit 160. The CCU 166 includes a climate control circuit (not shown)that connects, for example, a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator andan expansion device to provide conditioned air within the climatecontrolled space 170. The remote unit 168 a is disposed on a ceiling 179within the second zone 172 b and the remote unit 168 b is disposed onthe ceiling 179 within the third zone 172 c. Each of the remote units168 a,b include an evaporator (not shown) that connects to the rest ofthe climate control circuit provided in the CCU 166.

The MTCS 162 also includes a programmable climate controller 180 and oneor more sensors (not shown) that are configured to measure one or moreparameters of the MTCS 162 (e.g., an ambient temperature outside of thetransport unit 164, an ambient humidity outside of the transport unit164, a compressor suction pressure, a compressor discharge pressure,supply air temperatures of air supplied by the CCU 166 and the remoteunits 168 into each of the zones 172, return air temperatures of airreturned from each of the zones 172 back to the respective CCU 166 orremote unit 168 a or 168 b, a humidity within each of the zones 118,etc.) and communicate parameter data to a climate controller 180. Theclimate controller 180 is configured to control operation of the MTCS162 including components of the climate control circuit. The climatecontroller 180 may comprise a single integrated control unit 181 or maycomprise a distributed network of climate controller elements 181, 182.The number of distributed control elements in a given network can dependupon the particular application of the principles described herein.

It will be appreciated that similar to the climate-controlled van 100,the climate controlled transport unit 160 of FIG. 1D can also include avehicle PDU (such as the vehicle PDU 101 shown in FIG. 1A), a VES (suchas the VES 102 shown in FIG. 1A), a standard charging port (such as thestandard charging port 103 shown in FIG. 1A), and/or an enhancedcharging port (e.g., the enhanced charging port 104 shown in FIG. 1A),communicating with and distribute power from/to the corresponding ESEand/or the CCU 166.

FIG. 1E is a perspective view of a vehicle 185 including a transportclimate control system 187, according to one embodiment. The vehicle 185is a mass-transit bus that can carry passenger(s) (not shown) to one ormore destinations. In other embodiments, the vehicle 185 can be a schoolbus, railway vehicle, subway car, or other commercial vehicle thatcarries passengers. The vehicle 185 includes a climate controlled space(e.g., passenger compartment) 189 supported that can accommodate aplurality of passengers. The vehicle 185 includes doors 190 that arepositioned on a side of the vehicle 185. In the embodiment shown in FIG.1E, a first door 190 is located adjacent to a forward end of the vehicle185, and a second door 190 is positioned towards a rearward end of thevehicle 185. Each door 190 is movable between an open position and aclosed position to selectively allow access to the climate controlledspace 189. The transport climate control system 187 includes a CCU 192attached to a roof 194 of the vehicle 185.

The CCU 192 includes a climate control circuit (not shown) thatconnects, for example, a compressor, a condenser, an evaporator and anexpansion device to provide conditioned air within the climatecontrolled space 189. The transport climate control system 187 alsoincludes a programmable climate controller 195 and one or more sensors(not shown) that are configured to measure one or more parameters of thetransport climate control system 187 (e.g., an ambient temperatureoutside of the vehicle 185, a space temperature within the climatecontrolled space 189, an ambient humidity outside of the vehicle 185, aspace humidity within the climate controlled space 189, etc.) andcommunicate parameter data to the climate controller 195. The climatecontroller 195 is configured to control operation of the transportclimate control system 187 including components of the climate controlcircuit. The climate controller 195 may comprise a single integratedcontrol unit 196 or may comprise a distributed network of climatecontroller elements 196, 197. The number of distributed control elementsin a given network can depend upon the particular application of theprinciples described herein.

It will be appreciated that similar to the climate-controlled van 100,the vehicle 185 including a transport climate control system 187 of FIG.1E can also include a vehicle PDU (such as the vehicle PDU 101 shown inFIG. 1A), a VES (such as the VES 102 shown in FIG. 1A), a standardcharging port (such as the standard charging port 103 shown in FIG. 1A),and/or an enhanced charging port (e.g., the enhanced charging port 104shown in FIG. 1A), communicating with and distribute power from/to thecorresponding ESE and/or the CCU 192.

FIG. 2 illustrates a schematic diagram of a power distribution site 200,according to one embodiment. The power distribution site 200 isconfigured to distribute power to one or more electrically poweredaccessories 285 (e.g., the CCU's 115, 132, 152, 166 and 192 shown inFIGS. 1A-E) docked at one or more of a plurality of ESE stations 250 ofthe power distribution site 200. The power distribution site 200includes a power input stage 210, a power converter stage 220, atransfer switch matrix 230, a power distribution controller 240, theplurality of ESE stations 250, and an optional human machine interface260. The power distribution site 200 also includes a loading dock 270and a plurality of parking bays 275 where one or more vehicles 280and/or electrically powered accessories 285 can be docked. Examples ofthe power distribution site 200 can be, for example, a shipyard, awarehouse, a supply yard, etc.

The power input stage 210 can be selectively connected to a plurality ofpower sources 212, 214, 216, 218 that can supply power to the powerdistribution site 200. In particular, the power input stage 210 includesa transformer connection 215 a for feeding power from a utility powersource 212 to the power converter stage 220, an inverter connection 215b for feeding power from a solar power source 214 to the power converterstage 220, a generator set connection 215 c for feeding power from agenerator set 216 to the power converter stage 220, and an inverterconnection 215 d for feeding power from a battery storage 218 to thepower converter stage 220. The power input stage 210 is configured toreceive both Alternating Current (“AC”) power (e.g., from the utilitysupply source 212, the solar power source 212, the generator set 214,etc.) and Direct Current (“DC”) power (e.g., from the solar power source212, the generator set 214, the battery storage 218, etc.). The powerinput stage 210 directs the power received from one or more of theplurality of power sources to the power converter stage 220. The powerinput stage 210 (including the transformer connection 215 a, theinverter connection 215 b, the generator set connection 215 c, and theinverter connection 215 d) are controlled by the power distributioncontroller 240.

The power converter stage 220 is connected to the power input stage 210and is configured to convert power received from the power input stage210 into a power that is compatible with one or more electricallypowered accessories 285 docked at the one or more power distributionstages 250. In some embodiments, the power input stage 210 can beconnected to the power converter stage 220 via an AC bus and/or a DCbus.

The power converter stage 220 includes a rectifier circuit 222, a DC/DCconverter circuit 224, an inverter circuit 226, and an AC distributioncircuit 228. The rectifier circuit 222 is configured to convert AC powerreceived from the power input stage 210 (e.g., from the utility powersource 212, the solar power source 214, the generator set 216, etc.)into DC power at a voltage and/or current level that is compatible withone or more of the electrically powered accessories 285 docked at thepower distribution site 200. The DC/DC converter 224 is configured toconvert a voltage and/or current level of DC power received from thepower input stage 210 (e.g., from the solar power source 214, thegenerator set 216, the battery storage 218, etc.) into a DC power thatis compatible with one or more of the electrically powered accessories285 docked at the power distribution site 200. The inverter circuit 226is configured to convert DC power received from the power input stage210 (e.g., from the solar power source 214, the generator set 216, thebattery storage 218, etc.) into an AC power that is compatible with oneor more of the electrically powered accessories 285 docked at the powerdistribution site 200. The AC distribution circuit 228 is configured toconvert a voltage and/or current level of AC power received from thepower input stage 210 (e.g., from the utility power source 212, thesolar power source 214, the generator set 216, etc.) into an AC powerthat is compatible with one or more of the electrically poweredaccessories 285 docked at the power distribution site 200. Powerconverted by the power converter stage 220 is then directed to thetransfer switch matrix 230. It will be appreciated that the number ofeach of the rectifier circuits 222, DC/DC converter circuits 224,inverter circuits 226, and AC distribution circuits 228 can vary basedon the needs of the power distribution site 200.

In some embodiments, the power converter stage 220 can include a modularrack that includes multiple power converter elements (e.g., therectifier circuits 222, DC/DC converter circuits 224, inverter circuits226, and AC distribution circuits 228, etc.). Power converter elementscan be added/removed from the modular rack as desired. In someembodiments, the modular rack can be stored in a secure cabinet at thepower distribution site 200.

In some embodiments, the power input stage 210 and the power converterstage 220 can be controlled by the power distribution controller 240 tostore excess power (e.g., from the utility power source 212 and into thebattery storage 218) during periods when the cost of utility power isrelatively low (e.g., non-peak time periods). Also, in some embodiments,the power input stage 210 can be controlled by the power distributioncontroller 240 to vary power from each of the power sources 212, 214,216 and 218 to supply power to one of more of the ESE stations 250.Further, in some embodiments, one or more of the vehicles 280 and/or theelectrically powered accessories 285 can requested by the powerdistribution controller 240 to transfer power back to, for example, thebattery storage 218 and/or other vehicles 280 and/or electricallypowered accessories 285. Accordingly, the power distribution controller240 can balance power within the power distribution site 200.

The transfer switch matrix 230 is selectively connected to each of theplurality of ESE stations 250 and is configured to selectivelydistribute power to one or more of the ESE stations 250. The transferswitch matrix 230 is configured to distribute both AC power and DC powerfrom the power converter stage 220 to one or more of the ESE stations250. In particular, the transfer switch matrix 230 includes a rectifierswitch 233 that can selectively connect the rectifier circuit 222 to oneof the ESE stations 250, a DC/DC switch 235 that can selectively connectthe DC/DC converter circuit 224 to one of the ESE stations 250 c, aninverter switch 226 that can selectively connect the inverter circuit226 to one of the ESE stations 250, and an AC distribution switch 228that can selectively connect the AC distribution circuit 228 to one ofthe ESE stations 250. The transfer switch matrix 230 (including theswitches 233, 235, 237, 239) are controlled by the power distributioncontroller 240. In some embodiments, the transfer switch matrix 230 caninclude additional switches that may or may not be connected to any ofthe ESE stations 250. Accordingly, the transfer switch matrix 230 can beconfigured to connect the power converter stage 220 to less than all ofthe ESE stations 250. Also, in some embodiments, the number of switchesconnected to each of the circuits 222, 224, 226, 228 can vary based onthe needs of the power distribution site 200.

Each of the ESE stations 250 is configured to distribute power receivedfrom the transfer switch matrix 230 to a vehicle and/or an electricallypowered accessory docked at the particular station 250. As shown in FIG.2 , the ESE stations 250 are provided at the loading dock 270 and theparking bays 275. It will be appreciated that each of the ESE stations250 can supply power in the hundreds of kilowatts.

Each of the ESE stations 250 includes a DC charger 252 and an AC charger254 that are configured to connect to a vehicle and/or an electricallypowered accessory. It will be appreciated that in other embodiments, oneor more of the ESE stations 250 may include only one of the DC charger252 and the AC charger 254. In some embodiments, one or more of the DCchargers 252 can be an off-board charger for fast charging. In someembodiments, the ESE stations 250 can communicate with a vehicle and/oran electrically powered accessory.

AC power delivered by the AC charger 254 can be single-phase AC or threephase AC power. DC power delivered by the DC charger 252 can be LowVoltage (LV) DC power (e.g., Class A) and/or High Voltage (HV) DC power(e.g., Class B). As defined herein, “low voltage” refers to Class A ofthe ISO 6469-3 in the automotive environment, in particular, a maximumworking voltage of between about 0V to 60V DC or between about 0V to 30VAC. As defined herein, “high voltage” refers to Class B of the ISO6469-3 in the automotive environment, in particular, a maximum workingvoltage of between about 60V to 1500V DC or between about 30V to 1000VAC. The AC charger 254 and the DC charger 252 can include any suitableconnectors that support e.g., Combined Charging System (CCS, guided bye.g., CharIN), CHAdeMO, Guobiao recommended-standard 20234, TeslaSupercharger, and/or other EVSE standards. Typically, the AC charger 254and the DC charger 252 for fast charging from the ESE stations 250 workexclusively. Embodiments disclosed herein can enable supplying both theAC power and the DC power for fast charging/power distribution from theESE 220 to, for example, supply power to a vehicle and/or charge arechargeable energy storage of the vehicle or the electrically poweredaccessory with the DC power and to operate an electrically poweredaccessory with AC power.

In some embodiments, the DC chargers 252 and the AC chargers 254 cansend and receive communication signals between the power distributioncontroller 240 and one or both of a vehicle controller or electricallypowered accessory controller of the vehicle and/or electrically poweredaccessory docked at one of the ESE stations 250.

In the non-limiting example shown in FIG. 2 , the electrically poweredaccessory 285 a and a combination of the vehicle 280 b and theelectrically powered accessory 285 b are parked/docked at the loadingdock 270. The electrically powered accessory 285 a is a CCU (e.g., theCCU 152 shown in FIG. 1C) attached to a trailer without a tractor. Theelectrically powered accessory 285 a can use AC power supplied by the ACcharger 254 a to maintain temperature inside the trailer. The vehicle280 b is an electric truck (e.g., the truck 130 shown in FIG. 1B) andthe electrically powered accessory 285 b is a CCU (e.g., the CCU 133shown in FIG. 1B). Both the vehicle 280 b and the electrically poweredaccessory 285 b can use DC power supplied by the DC charger 252 b forcharging their respective rechargeable battery storages so that they canoperate once dispatched from the power distribution site 200. Thevehicle 280 c is an electric tractor (e.g., the tractor 142 shown inFIG. 1C) and can use DC power supplied by the DC charger 254 c forcharging a respective rechargeable battery storage of the vehicle 280 cso that the vehicle 280 c can operate once dispatched from the powerdistribution site 200. The electrically powered accessory 285 d is a CCU(e.g., the CCU 152 shown in FIG. 1C) attached to a trailer without atractor. The electrically powered accessory 285 d can use DC powersupplied by the DC charger 252 d to charge a rechargeable energy storageof the electrically powered accessory 285 d and use AC power supplied bythe AC charger 254 d to pre-cool and maintain temperature inside thetrailer prior to dispatch from the power distribution site 200.

It will be appreciated that the number and types of vehicles 280 and/orelectrically powered accessories 285 parked/docked at the loading dock270 can vary based on the needs of the power distribution site 200. Itwill also be appreciated that the number and types of vehicles 280and/or electrically powered accessories 285 parked/docked at the parkingbays 275 can vary based on the needs of the power distribution site 200.It will also be appreciated that the number of loading docks 270 andparking bays 275 can vary based on the needs of the power distributionsite 200.

The power distribution controller 240 is configured to control the powerinput stage 210 and the transfer switching matrix 230. In particular,the power distribution controller 240 is configured to control each ofthe connections 215 to control which of the power sources 212, 214, 216,218 are providing power to the power distribution site 200 at any giventime. The power distribution controller 240 is also configured tocontrol the switches 233, 235, 237 and 239 to control which of the DCchargers 252 and the AC chargers 254 are supplied power for poweringand/or charging a vehicle and/or electrically powered accessory.

The power distribution controller 240 can communicate with one or moreexternal sources including, for example, a telematics unit of a vehicle,a telematics unit of an electrically powered accessory, a trafficservice, a weather service, etc. In some embodiments, the optional HMI260 can allow an operator to communicate with and/or provideinstructions to the power distribution controller 240. Also, in someembodiments, the power distribution terminal can send notification datavia, for example, a short message service (SMS), email, etc. to one ormore users/operators of the vehicles 280 and/or the electrically poweredaccessories 285.

In some embodiments, the optional HMI 260 can provide a user interfacefor management of the power distribution site 200 (including the powerinput stage 210, the power converter stage 220, and/or the transferswitch matrix 230, etc.). In some embodiments, the optional HMI 260 canprovide wired and/or wireless connections to one or more remotemanagement platforms (for example over the Internet) to manage the powerdistribution site 200 (including the power input stage 210, the powerconverter stage 220, and/or the transfer switch matrix 230, etc.).

The power distribution controller 240 can also be configured tocoordinate distribution of power to one or more electrically poweredaccessories docked at the power distribution site 200. The powerdistribution controller 240 can coordinate power distribution based oninfrastructure data about the power distribution site 200,vehicle/electrically powered accessory data from one or moreelectrically powered accessories demanding power from one or more ESEstations 250, and external data from an external source that can impactpower demand from the one or more electrically powered accessories. Theinfrastructure data, the electrically powered accessory data, and theexternal data can be from various inputs and use simulation models andhistorical data to predict an optimization model for scheduling powerdistribution to the one or more electrically powered accessories whileminimizing overall cost and ensuring that the electrically poweredaccessories have sufficient power to operate while at the powerdistribution site 206 and/or sufficient charge to operate when theelectrically powered accessory is dispatched from the power distributionsite 200. Details of coordinating distribution of power is described infurther detail with respect to FIG. 3 .

In some embodiments, the power distribution site 200 can be modular suchthat power distribution capacity can be increased or decreased asrequired and can be flexible such that the power distribution site 200includes the plurality of ESE stations 250 that may or may not becapable of distributing power at any given time based on the switches233, 235, 237, 239. Also, in some embodiments, the power distributioncontroller 240 can determine whether a new ESE station has been added toor removed from the power distribution site 200. For example, as shownin FIG. 2 , the parking bay 275 may not have an associated ESE station250. Optionally, a new ESE station 250 n (including an optional DCcharger 252 n and/or an optional AC charger 254 n) can be connected to apreviously unused switch of the transfer switch matrix 230 DC charger252 n. Similarly, one of the plurality of ESE stations 250 can bedisconnected from the transfer switch matrix 230 when desired. The powerdistribution controller 240 can communicate with the transfer switchmatrix 230 to determine when a ESE station is connected and/or removablydisconnected from a switch of the transfer switch matrix 230. Thus, thepower distribution controller 240 can dynamically control the transferswitch matrix 230 and coordinate power distribution at the powerdistribution site 200 amongst the available ESE stations 250accordingly.

Thus, the power distribution controller 240 can reduce costs by reducingthe amount of power distributed at peak power demand rates, can reducecapacity strain on the power distribution site and can enable energybalancing amongst the multiple ESE stations 250.

FIG. 3 illustrates a flowchart of a method 300 for optimizing powerdistribution to one or more vehicles (e.g., the vehicles 280 shown inFIG. 2 ) and/or one or more electrically powered accessories (e.g., theelectrically powered accessories 285 shown in FIG. 2 ) at a powerdistribution site (e.g., the power distribution site 200 shown in FIG. 2). For illustrative purposes, the one or more electrically poweredaccessories described in the method 300 are CCUs. Thus, the termelectrically powered accessories and CCUs are used interchangeably. Itwill be appreciated that in other embodiments, the method 300 can beused with one or more different types of electrically poweredaccessories. It will also be appreciated that in some embodiments themethod 300 can be a rolling or repetitive process that can plan, forexample, hours ahead, days ahead, etc. It will also be appreciated thatin some embodiments the method 300 can create a model for a plurality oftime intervals and can also optionally aggregate all of the timeinterval models.

The method 300 begins concurrently at 310, 320 and 330. In particular,at 310 a power distribution controller (e.g., the power distributioncontroller 240 shown in FIG. 2 ) obtains infrastructure data about thepower distribution site. This includes concurrently obtaining fleetmanagement priority data at 312, utility data at 314, loading anddispatching schedule data at 316, and power distribution, charging andstorage infrastructure data at 318. The fleet management priority dataobtained at 312 can be data provided by one or more of the electricallypowered accessories (e.g., via a telematics unit) or via an HMI of thepower distribution site (e.g., the optional HMI 260) indicating whatfactors should be prioritized in using the power distribution site(e.g., dispatch time, minimizing cost of utility power, minimizingenergy consumption, prioritizing climate control for certain CCUs,ensuring that one or more of the vehicles can leave on time,prioritizing full charge or partial charge of a particular vehicle,prioritizing order in which each of the vehicles is charged, minimizingcost to a fleet manager (e.g., fully charging a particular vehicle vs.the particular vehicle leaving on time), etc.). The utility dataobtained at 314 can include, for example, current and future costs ofobtaining utility power from a utility power source (e.g., the utilitypower source 212 shown in FIG. 2 ) and/or technical limitations of thepower distribution site. The technical limitations can be constraintsand/or boundary conditions of the power distribution site and caninclude, for example, technical limitations of the power source(s)providing power at the power distribution site (e.g., the plurality ofpower sources 212, 214, 216, 218 shown in FIG. 2 ), a maximum poweramount that can pass through an AC bus from the power source(s) to thevehicle(s), an energy rate, a demand rate, etc. For example, when thepower source(s) includes a generator set and/or a battery storage, atechnical limitation can be that the generator set and/or the batterystorage are only capable of supplying a certain amount of power. Inanother example, a technical limitation can be that when there is a highdemand for power from the power distribution unit, the powerdistribution unit can attempt to discharge power from a battery storage.The loading and dispatching schedule data obtained at 316 can includeinformation regarding when vehicles and/or electrically poweredaccessories are arriving to the power distribution site, when vehiclesand/or electrically powered accessories are set to leave the powerdistribution site, etc. When the power distribution controller obtainsfleet management priority data at 312, obtains utility data at 314, andobtains loading and dispatching schedule data at 316, the method 300proceeds to 340. The power distribution controller can use the loadingand dispatching schedule data obtained at 316 to provide plannedschedule boundary conditions to an optimization model at 350. Plannedschedule boundary conditions can include, for example, times at whicheach of the vehicles are required to be finished charging. Also, thepower distribution controller can use the utility data obtained at 314to provide utility boundary conditions to the optimization model at 350.Utility boundary conditions can include, for example, a capacity of thebattery storage, a maximum charging speed, a maximum power beingprovided by the power distribution site, etc.

The power distribution, charging and storage infrastructure dataobtained at 318 can include power distribution capacity of the powerdistribution site, number and types of power converter elements (e.g.,number of rectifier circuits, DC/DC converter circuits, invertercircuits, and/or AC distribution circuits, etc.), a storage capacity ofa battery storage (e.g., the battery storage 218 shown in FIG. 2 ) thatcan supply power to the vehicle(s) and/or electrically poweredaccessories, etc. The power distribution, charging and storageinfrastructure data obtained at 318 can provide infrastructure boundaryconditions that are provided to the optimization model at 350.Infrastructure boundary conditions can include, for example, a maximumcapacity of the battery storage at the power distribution site, aminimum capacity of the battery storage at the power distribution site,a maximum capacity of the AC and/or DC chargers of the powerdistribution site, a minimum capacity of the AC and/or DC chargers ofthe power distribution site, the number of AC chargers of the powerdistribution site, the number of DC chargers of the power distributionsite, the number of ESE stations, any further information that can beused to plan for charging and/or precooling multiple vehicles and/orelectrically powered accessories, etc.

At 320, the power distribution controller obtains vehicle/electricallypowered accessory data from one or more vehicles and/or CCUs demandingpower from an ESE station (e.g., the ESE stations 250 shown in FIG. 2 )at the power distribution site. This includes concurrently obtainingtrip data at 322, telematics data 324, and/or vehicle/electricallypowered accessory data at 326. The trip data obtained at 322 caninclude, for example, route information for each of the vehicles and/orCCUs, climate control setpoints for each of the CCUs, drop-off stop(s)for each of the vehicles and/or CCUs, etc. The telematics data (obtainedat 324) can be obtained from a telematics unit of the vehicles and/orCCUs. In some embodiments, the telematics data can be current telematicsdata. In some embodiments, the telematics data can be historicaltelematics data. Examples of telematics data can include for example,vehicle status data and/or training data. The vehicle status data caninclude, for example, initial status information regarding the vehiclewhen it is at the power distribution site and ready to be charged (e.g.,current temperature within the climate controlled space, state of chargeof the battery of the vehicle/electrically powered accessory, etc.).Training data can include, for example, a mathematical formula that canforecast energy required for a planned trip of the vehicle. Themathematical formula can use, for example, a size of the climatecontrolled space, an ambient temperature outside of the vehicle, anefficiency of a transport climate controlled unit, an amount of energyrequired by the transport climate controlled unit to compensate for aloss of cooling to the ambient, traffic data, weather data, and anyother current or historic data to determine the amount of power requiredby the vehicle/electrically powered accessory for a trip. In someembodiments, machine learning based on field data and updates based ondata obtained over time can be used to obtain the training data. Thevehicle/electrically powered accessory data obtained at 326 can include,for example, technical data regarding the type of power required foroperating and/or charging the vehicle/electrically powered accessoryincluding. The technical data can include, for example, a size of theclimate controlled space towed by the vehicle, an insulation quality ofthe climate controlled space, an efficiency of the transport climatecontrolled unit providing climate control to the climate controlledspace, a resistance of rolling of the vehicle, and any other data thatcan be factor into predicting energy consumption of thevehicle/electrically powered accessory during the trip, The powerdistribution controller can use the trip data obtained at 322 to providepre-dispatch boundary conditions of the vehicle and/or electricallypowered accessory to the optimization model at 350. The pre-dispatchboundary conditions can include, for example, temperature setpoint dataThe power distribution controller can use the telematics data obtainedat 324 to provide initial status data of the vehicle and/or electricallypowered accessory to the optimization model at 350 and can optionallyprovide training data to a trip energy model at 344. The initial statusdata of the vehicle and/or electrically powered accessory can include,for example, a state of charge of a battery of the vehicle and/orelectrically powered accessory upon arriving at the power distributioncenter, a current temperature within a climate controlled storage spacetowed by the vehicle.

At 330, the power distribution controller obtains external data that maybe relevant to power distribution optimization. This includesconcurrently obtaining weather data at 332 and obtaining traffic data at334. The weather data can be obtained at 332 by the power distributioncontroller via, for example, a weather service via the Internet. Thetraffic data can be obtained at 334 by the power distribution controllervia, for example, a traffic service via the Internet. When the powerdistribution controller obtains the weather data at 332, the trafficdata at 334, the vehicle data at 326 and the trip data at 322, thecombined data is provided to the trip energy model at 344.

At 340, the power distribution controller uses a target function modelto generate one or more target functions at 342. The target functionscan include one or more of optimizing against different targets (e.g.,minimizing delay for charging the vehicle/electrically poweredaccessory, minimizing cost for charging the vehicle/electrically poweredaccessory, minimizing energy consumption of the vehicle/electricallypowered accessory, minimizing wear, for example, on a battery of thevehicle/electrically powered accessory, etc. In some embodiments, thetarget function model can determine a cost for each of the one or moredifferent targets and optimize the model based on the cost for each ofthe one or more targets. The target functions are provided to theoptimization model at 350.

At 344, the power distribution controller uses a trip energy model togenerate an energy prediction per trip at 346 for each of the vehiclesand/or electrically powered accessories based on the vehicle data, thetrip data, the weather data, and the traffic data. In some embodiments,the power distribution controller can input the training data obtainedfrom the telematics data at 324 into the trip energy model at 344 togenerate the energy prediction per trip at 346. That is, the trip energymodel determines an estimated amount of power required for a vehicleand/or electrically powered accessory during a specified trip. Theenergy prediction per trip provides a battery state of charge requiredfor the vehicle and/or electrically powered accessory at the start of atrip in order for the vehicle and/or electrically powered accessory havesufficient power to complete the trip. The battery state of chargerequired for the vehicle and/or electrically powered accessory at thestart of a trip is then provided to the optimization model at 350.

At 350, the power distribution controller inputs the target functionsobtained at 342, the utility boundary conditions obtained from theutility data at 314, the planned schedule boundary conditions obtainedfrom the loading and dispatching schedule data at 316, the requiredbattery state of charge at the start of a trip obtained from the energyprediction per trip determined at 346, the pre-dispatch boundaryconditions obtained from the trip data at 322, the initial status dataobtained from the telematics data at 324, and the infrastructureboundary conditions obtained from the power distribution, charging andstorage infrastructure data at 318 into the optimization model togenerate a power distribution schedule for each of the vehicles and/orelectrically powered accessories at 355.

In some embodiments, the power distribution schedule can determine wheneach of the vehicles and/or electrically powered accessories can chargetheir respective rechargeable energy storage and/or start operationwhile parked/docked at the power distribution site. When theelectrically powered accessory is a CCU, the power distribution schedulecan determine when the CCU can use power from the power distributionsite to charge its rechargeable energy storage, when the CCU can beginprecooling climate control while at the power distribution site, andwhen the CCU can use power from the power distribution site to maintainclimate control while parked/docked at the power distribution site. Themethod 300 then proceeds concurrently to 360 and 365.

At 360, the power distribution controller executes the powerdistribution schedule determined at 355 by controlling one or more of apower input stage (e.g., the power input stage 210 shown in FIG. 2 ), apower converter stage (e.g., the power converter stage 220 shown in FIG.2 ), a transfer switch matrix (e.g., the transfer switch matrix 230shown in FIG. 2 ). Accordingly, the power distribution controller cancontrol when and how each of the vehicles and/or electrically poweredaccessories are provided power from the power distribution site. Thisallows the power distribution controller to power and/or charge one ormore electrically powered accessories and at the same time maintainlogistical processes for operating the one or more electrically poweredaccessories and maintain dispatch schedules for the one or moreelectrically powered accessories while minimizing costs related to, forexample, power demand rates, etc. It will be appreciated that in someembodiments, the power distribution schedule may not schedule for arechargeable energy storage of a vehicle or electrically poweredaccessory to be charged to a complete state of charge. Rather, theoptimization module can distribute sufficient power to the rechargeableenergy storage for an upcoming trip.

At 365, the power distribution controller can provide feedback to auser/operator of at least one of the vehicles and/or electricallypowered accessories regarding the power distribution schedule for theparticular vehicle and/or electrically powered accessory. In someembodiments, the feedback can include a notification when power is beingdistributed to the particular vehicle and/or electrically poweredaccessory, when sufficient power is provided to the vehicle and/orelectrically powered accessory to successfully start and complete atrip, and/or when the power distribution controller determines thatthere may be an alert or failure to provide sufficient power for thevehicle and/or electrically powered accessory to successfully start andcomplete a trip. In some embodiments, the feedback can also include anotification of a delay, for example, in charging the particular vehicleand/or electrically powered accessory to achieve the desired and/orrequired state of charge.

Aspects:

It will be appreciated that any of aspects 1-6, aspects 7-13, aspects14-19, and aspects 20-27 can be combined.

Aspect 1. A method for optimizing power distribution amongst one or moreelectrical supply equipment stations at a power distribution site forsupplying power to one or more transport climate control systems, themethod comprising:

obtaining infrastructure data about the power distribution site;

obtaining vehicle/transport climate control system data from the one ormore transport climate control systems and one or more vehiclesdemanding power from the one or more electrical supply equipment,wherein each of the one or more transport climate control systems isconfigured to provide climate control within a climate controlled spaceof the vehicle or a transport unit towed by the vehicle;

obtaining external data from an external source that can impact powerdemand from the one or more transport climate control systems;

generating an optimized power distribution schedule based on theinfrastructure data, the vehicle/transport climate control system dataand the external data; and

distributing power to the one or more transport climate control systemsbased on the optimized power distribution schedule.

Aspect 2. The method of aspect 1, wherein obtaining the infrastructuredata includes obtaining at least one of fleet management priority data,utility data, loading and dispatching schedule data, and powerdistribution, charging and storage infrastructure data.Aspect 3. The method of any one of aspects 1 and 2, wherein obtainingvehicle/transport climate control system data includes obtaining atleast one of vehicle/transport climate control system data, trip data,and telematics data.Aspect 4. The method of any one of aspects 1-3, wherein obtainingexternal data includes obtaining at least one of weather data andtraffic data.Aspect 5. The method of any one of aspects 1-4, wherein generating theoptimized power distribution schedule based on the infrastructure data,the vehicle/transport climate control system data and the external dataincludes inputting at least one of target functions, utility boundaryconditions, planned schedule boundary conditions, a battery state ofcharge at a trip start, pre-dispatch boundary conditions, initialvehicle/electrically powered accessory status, and infrastructureboundary conditions into an optimization model.Aspect 6. The method of any one of aspects 1-5, further comprisinggenerating a feedback notification to a user regarding the optimizedpower distribution schedule for the one or more transport climatecontrol systems.Aspect 7. A power distribution site for distributing power to one ormore transport climate control systems, the power distribution sitecomprising:

a power converter stage configured to convert power received from theone or more of a plurality of power sources into a power that iscompatible with at least one of the one or more transport climatecontrol systems;

a plurality of electrical supply equipment stations that distributepower received from the power converter stage to at least one of the oneor more transport climate control systems;

a transfer switch matrix selectively connected to each of the pluralityof electrical supply equipment stations, wherein the transfer switchmatrix selectively distributes power converted by the power converterstage to at least one of the one or more transport climate controlsystems; and

a power distribution controller that controls distribution of power tothe one or more transport climate control systems by controllingoperation of the power converter stage and the transfer switch matrix.

Aspect 8. The power distribution site of aspect 7, wherein the pluralityof power sources includes at least one of a utility power source, asolar power source, a generator set, and a battery storage.

Aspect 9. The power distribution site of any one of aspects 7 and 8,wherein the power converter stage includes at least one of a rectifiercircuit that converts AC power from one or more of the plurality ofpower sources into DC power at a DC voltage and/or current levelcompatible with at least one of the electrically powered accessories, aDC/DC converter circuit that converts a voltage and/or current level ofDC power from one or more of the plurality of power sources into the DCpower at the DC voltage and/or current level compatible with at leastone of the transport climate control systems, an inverter circuit thatconverts DC power from one or more of the plurality of power sourcesinto AC power at an AC voltage and/or current level compatible with atleast one of the transport climate control systems, and an ACdistribution circuit that converts a voltage and/or current level of ACpower from one or more of the plurality of power sources into the ACpower at the AC voltage and/or current level compatible with at leastone of the transport climate control systems.Aspect 10. The power distribution site of any one of aspects 7-9,wherein each of the plurality of electrical supply equipment stationsincludes at least one of a DC charger and an AC charger that connects toat least one of the one or more transport climate control systems.Aspect 11. The power distribution site of any one of aspects 7-10,wherein the power converter stage includes a modular rack that includesone or more rectifier circuits, one or more DC/DC converter circuits,one or more inverter circuits, and one or more AC distribution circuits,wherein each of the one or more rectifier circuits, DC/DC convertercircuits, inverter circuits, and AC distribution circuits can beselectively removed from the modular rack.Aspect 12. The power distribution site of aspect 11, wherein one of anadditional rectifier circuit, an additional DC/DC converter circuit, anadditional inverter circuit, and an additional AC distribution circuitcan be selectively added to the modular rack.Aspect 13. The power distribution site of any one of aspects 7-12,wherein the power distribution controller is configured to coordinatedistribution of power to at least one of the one or more transportclimate control systems based on infrastructure data about the powerdistribution site, vehicle/transport climate control system data fromthe one or more transport climate control systems demanding power fromthe power distribution site, and external data from an external sourcethat can impact power demand from at least one of the one or moretransport climate control systems.Aspect 14. A method for optimizing power distribution amongst one ormore electrical supply equipment stations at a power distribution site,the method comprising:

obtaining infrastructure data about the power distribution site;

obtaining vehicle/electrically powered accessory data from one or moreelectrically powered accessories and one or more vehicles demandingpower from the one or more electrical supply equipment, wherein each ofthe one or more electrically powered accessories is configured to beused with at least one of a vehicle, a trailer, and a transportationcontainer;

obtaining external data from an external source that can impact powerdemand from the one or more electrically powered accessories;

generating an optimized power distribution schedule based on theinfrastructure data, the vehicle/electrically powered accessory data andthe external data; and

distributing power to the one or more electrically powered accessoriesbased on the optimized power distribution schedule.

Aspect 15. The method of aspect 14, wherein obtaining the infrastructuredata includes obtaining at least one of fleet management priority data,utility data, loading and dispatching schedule data, and powerdistribution, charging and storage infrastructure data.Aspect 16. The method of any one of aspects 14 and 15, wherein obtainingvehicle/electrically powered accessory data includes obtaining at leastone of vehicle/electrically powered accessory data, trip data, andtelematics data.Aspect 17. The method of any one of aspects 14-16, wherein obtainingexternal data includes obtaining at least one of weather data andtraffic data.Aspect 18. The method of any one of aspects 14-17, wherein generatingthe optimized power distribution schedule based on the infrastructuredata, the vehicle/electrically powered accessory data and the externaldata includes inputting at least one of target functions, utilityboundary conditions, planned schedule boundary conditions, a batterystate of charge at a trip start, pre-dispatch boundary conditions,initial vehicle/electrically powered accessory status, andinfrastructure boundary conditions into an optimization model.Aspect 19. The method of any one of aspects 14-18, further comprisinggenerating a feedback notification to a user regarding the optimizedpower distribution schedule for at least one of the one or moreelectrically powered accessories.Aspect 20. A power distribution site for distributing power to one ormore electrically powered accessories, the power distribution sitecomprising:

a power converter stage configured to convert power received from one ormore of a plurality of power sources into a power that is compatiblewith at least one of the one or more electrically powered accessories;

a plurality of electrical supply equipment stations that distributepower received from the power converter stage to at least one of the oneor more electrically powered accessories;

a transfer switch matrix selectively connected to each of the pluralityof electrical supply equipment stations, wherein the transfer switchmatrix selectively distributes power converted by the power converterstage to at least one of the one or more electrically poweredaccessories; and

a power distribution controller that controls distribution of power tothe one or more electrically powered accessories by controllingoperation of the power converter stage and the transfer switch matrix.

Aspect 21. The power distribution site of claim 20, wherein theplurality of power sources includes at least one of a utility powersource, a solar power source, a generator set, and a battery storage.

Aspect 22. The power distribution site of any one of aspects 20 and 21,wherein the power converter stage includes at least one of a rectifiercircuit that converts AC power from one or more of the plurality ofpower sources into DC power at a DC voltage and/or current levelcompatible with at least one of the electrically powered accessories, aDC/DC converter circuit that converts a voltage and/or current level ofDC power from one or more of the plurality of power sources into the DCpower at the DC voltage and/or current level compatible with at leastone of the electrically powered accessories, an inverter circuit thatconverts DC power from one or more of the plurality of power sourcesinto AC power at an AC voltage and/or current level compatible with atleast one of the electrically powered accessories, and an ACdistribution circuit that converts a voltage and/or current level of ACpower from one or more of the plurality of power sources into the ACpower at the AC voltage and/or current level compatible with at leastone of the electrically powered accessories.Aspect 23. The power distribution site of any one of aspects 20-22,wherein each of the plurality of electrical supply equipment stationsincludes at least one of a DC charger and an AC charger that connects toat least one of the one or more electrically powered accessories.Aspect 24. The power distribution site of any one of aspects 20-23,wherein the electrically powered accessory is a climate control unit ofa transport climate control system that is provided on a transport unit.Aspect 25. The power distribution site of any one of aspects 20-24,wherein the power converter stage includes a modular rack that includesone or more rectifier circuits, one or more DC/DC converter circuits,one or more inverter circuits, and one or more AC distribution circuits,wherein each of the one or more rectifier circuits, DC/DC convertercircuits, inverter circuits, and AC distribution circuits can beselectively removed from the modular rack.Aspect 26. The power distribution site of aspect 25, wherein one of anadditional rectifier circuit, an additional DC/DC converter circuit, anadditional inverter circuit, and an additional AC distribution circuitcan be selectively added to the modular rack.Aspect 27. The power distribution site of any one of aspects 20-26,wherein the power distribution controller is configured to coordinatedistribution of power to at least one of the one or more electricallypowered accessories based on infrastructure data about the powerdistribution site, vehicle/electrically powered accessory data from theone or more electrically powered accessories demanding power from thepower distribution site, and external data from an external source thatcan impact power demand from at least one of the one or moreelectrically powered accessories.

With regard to the foregoing description, it is to be understood thatchanges may be made in detail, without departing from the scope of thepresent invention. It is intended that the specification and depictedembodiments are to be considered exemplary only, with a true scope andspirit of the invention being indicated by the broad meaning of theclaims.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method for optimizing power distributionamongst one or more electrical supply equipment stations at a powerdistribution site for supplying power to one or more vehicles and one ormore transport climate control systems docked at the one or moreelectrical supply equipment stations, the method comprising: obtaininginfrastructure data about the power distribution site; obtainingvehicle/transport climate control system data from the one or moretransport climate control systems and one or more vehicles demandingpower from the one or more electrical supply equipment stations, whereineach of the one or more transport climate control systems is configuredto provide climate control within a climate controlled space of thevehicle or a transport unit towed by the vehicle; obtaining externaldata from an external source that can impact power demand from the oneor more transport climate control systems; generating an optimized powerdistribution schedule based on the infrastructure data, thevehicle/transport climate control system data and the external data;distributing power to the one or more transport climate control systemsdocked at the one or more electrical supply equipment stations based onthe optimized power distribution schedule; and generating a feedbacknotification to a user of a particular transport climate control systemof the one or more transport climate control systems docked at the oneor more electrical supply equipment stations regarding the optimizedpower distribution schedule, wherein the feedback notification includesa notification when power is being distributed to the particulartransport climate control system.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinobtaining the infrastructure data includes obtaining at least one offleet management priority data, utility data, loading and dispatchingschedule data, and power distribution, charging and storageinfrastructure data.
 3. The method of claim 1, wherein obtainingvehicle/transport climate control system data includes obtaining atleast one of vehicle/transport climate control system data, trip data,and telematics data.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein obtainingexternal data includes obtaining at least one of weather data andtraffic data.
 5. The method of claim 1, wherein generating the optimizedpower distribution schedule based on the infrastructure data, thevehicle/transport climate control system data and the external dataincludes inputting at least one of target functions, utility boundaryconditions, planned schedule boundary conditions, a battery state ofcharge at a trip start, pre-dispatch boundary conditions, initialvehicle/electrically powered accessory status, and infrastructureboundary conditions into an optimization model.
 6. The method of claim1, wherein the power distribution schedule determines when each of theone or more transport climate control systems begin precooling while atthe power distribution site and when each of the one or more transportclimate control systems is allowed to use power from the powerdistribution site to maintain climate control within a respectiveclimate controlled space while at the power distribution site.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the feedback notification includes anotification when there is a failure to provide sufficient power for theparticular transport climate control system to successfully start andcomplete a trip.
 8. The method of claim 1, wherein the transport climatecontrol system is configured to control an environmental conditionwithin a climate controlled space to maintain cargo.
 9. A powerdistribution site for distributing power to one or more transportclimate control systems, the power distribution site comprising: a powerconverter stage configured to convert power received from one or more ofa plurality of power sources into a power that is compatible with atleast one of the one or more transport climate control systems; aplurality of electrical supply equipment stations that distribute powerreceived from the power converter stage to at least one of the one ormore transport climate control systems; a transfer switch matrixselectively connected to each of the plurality of electrical supplyequipment stations, wherein the transfer switch matrix selectivelydistributes power converted by the power converter stage to at least oneof the one or more transport climate control systems; and a powerdistribution controller that controls distribution of power to the oneor more transport climate control systems by controlling operation ofthe power converter stage and the transfer switch matrix, wherein thepower distribution controller is configured to generate a feedbacknotification to a user of a particular transport climate control systemof the one or more transport climate control systems docked at the oneor more electrical supply equipment stations regarding an optimizedpower distribution schedule, wherein the feedback notification includesa notification when power is being distributed to the particulartransport climate control system, wherein the power converter stageincludes at least one of a rectifier circuit that converts AC power fromone or more of the plurality of power sources into DC power at a DCvoltage and/or current level compatible with at least one of thetransport climate control systems, a DC/DC converter circuit thatconverts a voltage and/or current level of DC power from one or more ofthe plurality of power sources into the DC power at the DC voltageand/or current level compatible with at least one of the transportclimate control systems, an inverter circuit that converts DC power fromone or more of the plurality of power sources into AC power at an ACvoltage and/or current level compatible with at least one of thetransport climate control systems, and an AC distribution circuit thatconverts a voltage and/or current level of AC power from one or more ofthe plurality of power sources into the AC power at the AC voltageand/or current level compatible with at least one of the transportclimate control systems.
 10. The power distribution site of claim 9,wherein the plurality of power sources includes at least one of autility power source, a solar power source, a generator set, and abattery storage.
 11. The power distribution site of claim 9, whereineach of the plurality of electrical supply equipment stations includesat least one of a DC charger and an AC charger that connects to at leastone of the one or more transport climate control systems.
 12. The powerdistribution site of claim 9, wherein the power distribution controlleris configured to coordinate distribution of power to at least one of theone or more transport climate control systems based on infrastructuredata about the power distribution site, vehicle/transport climatecontrol system data from the one or more transport climate controlsystems demanding power from the power distribution site, and externaldata from an external source that can impact power demand from at leastone of the one or more transport climate control systems.
 13. The powerdistribution site of claim 9, wherein the optimized power distributionschedule is based on at least one of infrastructure data about the powerdistribution site, vehicle/transport climate control system data fromthe one or more transport climate control systems and one or morevehicles demanding power from the one or more electrical supplyequipment stations, and external data from an external source that canimpact power demand from the one or more transport climate controlsystems.
 14. A power distribution site for distributing power to one ormore transport climate control systems, the power distribution sitecomprising: a power converter stage configured to convert power receivedfrom one or more of a plurality of power sources into a power that iscompatible with at least one of the one or more transport climatecontrol systems; a plurality of electrical supply equipment stationsthat distribute power received from the power converter stage to atleast one of the one or more transport climate control systems; atransfer switch matrix selectively connected to each of the plurality ofelectrical supply equipment stations, wherein the transfer switch matrixselectively distributes power converted by the power converter stage toat least one of the one or more transport climate control systems; and apower distribution controller that controls distribution of power to theone or more transport climate control systems by controlling operationof the power converter stage and the transfer switch matrix, wherein thepower converter stage includes a modular rack that includes one or morerectifier circuits, one or more DC/DC converter circuits, one or moreinverter circuits, and one or more AC distribution circuits, whereineach of the one or more rectifier circuits, DC/DC converter circuits,inverter circuits, and AC distribution circuits can be selectivelyremoved from the modular rack.
 15. The power distribution site of claim14, wherein one of an additional rectifier circuit, an additional DC/DCconverter circuit, an additional inverter circuit, and an additional ACdistribution circuit can be selectively added to the modular rack.